Code: Neptunia
by Silius1
Summary: A month has passed since the events of the Alfheim Ragnarok tournament and at the request of Kikouka Seijirou of the VR Crime Division, the improvised group of Senryaku: Karen, Katsuo, Kazuto, Mamoru, Ophelia, and Yuuki are joining the American MMOFPS: Gun Gale Online to investigate rumors of deaths being linked to the MMO in a way similar to SAO. What surprises await Senryaku?
1. Code Neptunia: Prologue

Karen, Katsuo, Kazuto, Yuuki, Mamoru, and Ophelia are playing a brand new VRMMOFPS called Gun Gale Online when they encounter a surprise beyond their comprehension. Will this new surprise forever separate Karen, Katsuo, Kana, Sylvia, Hikaru, and all of their friends once again?

* * *

Rated: AU Fiction T

_Disclaimer: I don't own anything apart from the words that I write and the characters that I create. Credit goes to the original creator of the SAO universe; credits also to the creators and contributors to the Hyperdimension Neptunia series._

Author Notes: If you want to understand this story fully, I would highly recommend reading my previous works.

I'd like to thank my beta reader: ailaxolotl for betaing this story. Arigatou.

* * *

Real Life Standard Time: [9:30] June 12th 2026

It's been a month since the Ragnarok tournament in Alfheim and how members of Laughing Coffin tried killing myself and my friends while we were in virtual reality. Because of how I noticed that Kanemoto and Shinkawa weren't in the hospital that we were in when Vasuago attacked, there are suspicions that Vusago left a group in reserve just in case. As a result of this suspicion, security is rather tight at this hospital. Katsuo, Kazuto, Mamoru, Ophelia, Yuuki, and I were brought to this hospital by the VR Crime Division just in case Laughing Coffin tries to attack again.

After hearing from the nurses that the others are in GGO, I lay down in the hospital bed and activate my AmuSphere to create a character for me to use in Gun Gale Online. I'm constantly thankful that the activation sequence for the AmuSphere is the same as the NerveGear which allows me and my friends to easily adjust to the different hardware.

"Link Start!"

After activating the AmuSphere, I find myself in pure darkness until I see a menu, saying:

"**Will you cross over a character from a different game or create a new character?**"

I select 'Create a new avatar', since I want to keep Ashikaga, the new name of my Solaris avatar, in Alfheim. After selecting the create option, I'm brought into a special menu where I see 10 presets in front of me me.

"**To select a Preset, simply walk into it. Upon selecting a preset, additional creation options will be available.**"

I see that all ten of the presets are female; I conclude that it selected the ten presets available for women after scanning my mental wiring. I glance at the ten presets in front of me, numbered from 1 to 10 left to right across my vision. After looking at them all, I decide to choose number 7 since it has the exact same build as what I'm accustomed to-relatively thin, and not built with much muscle mass.

I then go into the character creator, which by default creates a mannequin that takes my real life form as a template. I decide to change things up by first changing my eyes to crimson red, the long, amber hair to a bright blue with me choosing to add glasses as a cosmetic change, and silver colored clothing with blue trims, with me deciding to name this avatar Asa. "Wow, it's hard to believe; this is the most feminine character I've ever made in an MMO. I just know that Ophelia's going to mock me when she sees me." I sigh a little, knowing that Ophelia's going to mock me over how I'm playing a feminine character when I usually always play male or tomboyish characters.

After accepting the character, I see this notice:

* * *

"**Welcome to Gun Gale Online.**"

* * *

I spawn in the middle of a city, with a few dozen people being in this area. The only people who catch my eye though are Mamoru, Yuuki, and Ophelia, who all crossed over their avatars from Alfheim around two weeks ago. Although the more intricate parts of their appearance are different from their Cait Sith, Imp, and Spriggan fairy forms; their colors and general appearances are the same.

"Pulse, Zekken, Yugana, over here!" I say happily. They walk toward me, having recognized my voice and know what I look like in this world now.

"It's an honor, Lady Ashikaga." Mamoru says, failing to hold back a laugh.

"Shut it, jerk!" I say sarcastically, punching him in the arm, but I'm laughing as well since I know that Mamoru usually is a jokester kind of person despite how he has his moments of somberness like what happened a month ago.

"Karen? You're actually playing a feminine character for once." Ophelia giggles somewhat, mocking the character I made.

"Ophelia, stop. I'm not exactly in the mood for your mockery right now." I half lie here, since I _really_ don't want to hear Ophelia's mild criticism over how I'm deciding to play a truly feminine character this time.

* * *

Not long into our conversation, I see a female looking player with long black hair, pale skin, crimson lips, and black eyes approach us.

"I'm glad at least one of you kept your appearance from Alfheim; it'd be a little tough to tell who's who if we all made new characters." The female player says calmly, with me recognizing the voice of this person but the appearance is not something I could easily recognize.

"Kazuto, is that...you?" Ophelia asks in absolute disbelief.

"Yeah, why do you sound creeped out?" Kazuto is confused as to why Ophelia

"Kazuto..." I say before smirking, and outright laughing as I grip my stomach and bend over from the fierce laughing.

"Why are you laughing at me?!" Kazuto asks in a confused tone.

"Okay...let me pull out a mirror." I say, laughing my butt off, desperately trying to maintain some degree of sanity.

* * *

I open my menu to pull out the mirror I was able to keep from Aincrad, and pass it to Kazuto. I guess that the mirror somehow was sent to my NerveGear's internal memory, and when I transferred everything to my AmuSphere, it came with. I notice, with little surprise, that I don't have any other items or money aside from the other transferred item from my NerveGear's memory: M492. It was the item that allowed me to transform into a male swordsman with a skull mask, which I used in SAO's closed beta. Actually, now that I think about it, I don't know why I didn't continue using it during the official game since it tripled the amount of EXP I got hunting monsters in Aincrad. Although doing this would give me access to a sword, _possibly_, I really don't want to use close ranged combat in an MMO based around guns.

When Kazuto looks at himself, he gasps very loudly, clearly disturbed about how he looks like a female character. I see another player approach us after hearing Kazuto nearly shout in utter revolt. This avatar has blue eyes, short amber hair, and is wearing dark red clothing with gold trims; his aura is almost identical to the Salamander General I've grown accustomed to: Yamakage.

"Katsuo, that you?" Yuuki asks the male player excitedly; she was quick to become close friends with Katsuo after the Ragnarok tournament last month and I'm surprised at how quickly Yuuki bonded with all of us to where it's like she's always been a part of our group, even during Aincrad when we were fighting with our lives on the line.

"Yep, yoroshiku, I named this character Striker."

"I decided to name this character Asa." I say with a smile.

"Well, I heard there's a tournament in this MMO named Bullet of Bullets happening soon; I figure we should build up your levels so we can stand a chance, so let's go fight some monsters outside town!" Yuuki says in her usual upbeat tone.

"Let's head to a weapon shop first, we need weapons." Kazuto states in his usual tranquil tone, having apparently gotten over the shock of finding that his avatar looks feminine.

* * *

We go to the weapon shop in town, with Mamoru, Yuuki, and Ophelia showing the GE 128 Assault Rifles they bought beforehand. Kazuto buys a 4.5mm FN Five Seven Handgun and a Kagemitsu G4 photon sword; I honestly am not surprised in the slightest at the fact that Kazuto bought a _sword_ in a MMOFPS. Katsuo and I would've bought weapons, but we're broke in terms of money, we have no items, and we discovered that buying weapons in this game binds them to the purchaser. So we'll need to get the money elsewhere, since we can't trade because of these new, stupid restrictions-all because these characters are new to this game, differing from Kazuto's, Mamoru's, Yuuki's, and Ophelia's crossed over characters from Alfheim.

"Hmm, we'll need to go out to a dungeon or something to help Striker and Asa get money and or weapons." Yuuki says with a frown, obviously feeling sad that Katsuo and I are being limited simply for wanting new perspective after using the same powerful characters for 4 years now.

"Well, let's get going. We won't be getting stronger by sitting around on our butts here." Mamoru says, with his usual humorous tone being evident, though there is a degree of seriousness in his voice.

* * *

Real Life Standard Time: [10:30] June 12th 2026

We leave the city, Mamoru, Ophelia, and Yuuki in the lead carrying their assault rifles in hand and Kazuto behind me and Katsuo to guard our backs. Just as the clock in my field of vision turns to 10:30, I fall into a pit trap that suddenly opens in front of me.

"_AHH!_" I scream as I fall down the pitfall that suddenly opened from below me.

"Karen!" I hear the group shout in shock, voices already becoming distant.

After what feels like ten minutes of falling, I land on my rear end rather harshly.

"_Itai!_" I shout in simulated pain. "I'm just glad this this is a virtual world…in reality that could've killed me, or at the least caused permanent injury." I morosely say, dusting myself off before inspecting the area's environment.

"Karen! You okay?!" I hear the echoed worried voice from Yuuki.

"I'm alright! But I can't see any way to get back up!" I say, hoping the echo reaches them.

"We're going to jump down and help you! Just wait for us!" I hear from Katsuo.

* * *

I hear the others rapidly approaching with fast speed; I'm guessing they all jumped in through the pit trap that caught me off guard, so I leap forward to avoid being crushed by someone landing on me. I then hear five sets of rapid landings.

"I see you all came down at once...so now we're _all_ trapped." I say with a mildly irritated sigh. I don't know why they _all_ decided to leap into this pit, but too late to question it now.

"Yeah, and I saw that we're too deep to exit this way. Let's try to find another exit." Ophelia says with a hint of regret.

"Okay; Mamoru, Yuuki, I want you two to take vanguard; Katsuo and I will be in the middle; Ophelia and Kazuto will be in the rearguard." I say in a mildly morose tone, wanting to find a way out.

"Understood, I won't let you down Karen!" Yuuki says with a smile.

* * *

We begin our march to find a way out of this damned dungeon. Mamoru, Yuuki, Kazuto, and Ophelia are the only ones able to fight until we make it half way through the dungeon, after fighting through eight rooms full of monsters. At the halfway mark, we encounter a large monster wielding a massive minigun, who fires at us, forcing us to take cover from the barrage.

"Get to cover!" I shout, dive bombing to the right, alongside Mamoru and Ophelia; with Katsuo, Kazuto, and Yuuki doing the same to the left.

"Damn it! We can't step out to fight without getting blown to pieces!" Kazuto shouts angrily, barely missing some shrapnel from the minigun as he tried surveying the environment some.

"I suppose you all need my help." I hear a voice say from somewhere.

We look around to see an large open air vent in front of the room, and can see someone shadowed behind a large sniper rifle within.

"Who are you?" Ophelia asks the person in the vent.

"Sinon. I'm going to guess you all are new players; if so, you're all completely idiotic." Sinon says drily.

"Idiotic...how dare you!" Yuuki whips out in anger of being insulted.

"Quiet, I need concentration." Sinon says, looking through the sniper rifle's scope.

I can hear three shots being fired and when I glance at the monster in the room, I see that they hit the monster's legs and right arm, causing it to drop the minigun it held.

"Now!" Sinon shouts to us.

"Move out!" I shout, stepping out of cover to attack the monster that kept us trapped, with the others rapidly following my lead.

"Give me some cover, I'm going to grab that minigun!" Katsuo shouts, rushing to grab the weapon.

"Got it!" Kazuto, Mamoru, Ophelia, and Yuuki say in unison, spreading out to prevent any possible AoE skills and inflict damage in all possible areas to stall time for Katsuo to grab the weapon.

* * *

The battle quickly evolves with Sinon sniping this monster at long range, Mamoru, Ophelia, Yuuki, and Katsuo are at a distance attacking from four directions with their rifles and minigun, and Kazuto using his Kagemitsu sword at point blank range. With all of our efforts combined, the monster falls after ten minutes of continuous heavy fire. After the monster is slain, we look toward the place we were hiding at to see a player crawl out of the vent and walk toward us, carrying a large sniper rifle. This female player has pale blue hair and is wearing a desert colored military jacket, bulletproof armor, and combat boots.

"Thanks for helping us out, we're trying to get out of this place." I say, bowing in appreciation for Sinon helping us here.

"Well, sadly enough, it's going to take more than this; there's still the final boss. Speaking of which; I've been keeping an eye on you before you entered this place. Why would you enter a dungeon of this level when you're still so new?" Sinon says with a hint of frustration.

"I fell into a pitfall and ended up here, so my friends followed me in. And what level is this place supposed to be?"

"This is the second strongest dungeon in the entire game. The fact you survived this long surprises me more than I'll admit. But either way, come along; I'll lead you out." Sinon says, already walking further into the dungeon.

"What do you think? Should we trust her?" Mamoru asks me.

"We do need help getting out of here. Let's follow her for now." I say with a sigh, beckoning the group to advance and follow this Sinon.

* * *

Meanwhile, in a different dimension:

Two people are glancing at a globe showing the images of Karen, Katsuo, Kazuto, Mamoru, Ophelia, Yuuki, and Sinon in combat against the miniboss they just fought and other spawn monsters, with Karen leading the group with strong strategies, impressing the fairy being.

"Histoire, are you sure these people are worth the power needed to bring them here?" The female brunette asks the fairy like being, sitting on a white book.

"Of course it is IF. I will not deny that this is not the full team that I was hoping for, but this group is very powerful and talented in many ways. They will be most useful in helping Neptune and the others." Histoire says seriously. "Now, go get Falcom and go to these coordinates. Wait for their arrival."

"Very well Histoire, if you claim these people can help, I'll put faith in them; not that I'm expecting much." The brunette says, walking away.

"Best of luck, IF. Gamindustri may very well depend on you, Falcom, and these heroes." Histoire says quietly, fearing the worst.

IF departs the Planeptune Basilicom and quickly finds a tall girl with short cut red hair, light orange-brown eyes, blue and white clothing and a silver headband in her red hair, carrying a long case of some sort.

"Hello IF. Did Histoire say anything about what we're going to do now?" The girl says in a friendly tone.

"Ah, Falcom, good timing, now I don't need to track you down." IF cracks a small smile of relief, feeling glad that she doesn't have to wander Planeptune to find the girl "Let's go, Histoire gave me the coordinates of where we need to go, we need to get there immediately and meet the people that will be arriving soon." IF continues seriously.

"Shouldn't we get Compa? It'd be easier handling introductions if everyone planning to go is there." Falcom says calmly.

"Eh...you're probably right. Let's head to the clinic, get Compa, then go to these coordinates."

IF and Falcom walk to the nearby clinic to find a cream pink haired girl wearing a tan-white tank top, red plaid skirt, a black choker, and a black headband working in the area.

"Iffy! You came!" The girl says happily, running toward the duo.

"Yeah, I'm heading out soon to get the people that'll help us rescue Nep and the others."

"You're going to meet the people Histy was going to summon? I'm coming with you!" Compa says in the same tone.

"We were planning on that; well, Falcom was. Anyway, are you sure about this, Compa? I'm with the Guild, so I have to help; Falcom's a traveling heroine asked by Histoire to help, but you Compa...you're a civilian, you shouldn't be coming." IF states worriedly; Compa is a childhood friend of IF's.

"I'm not going to stay here while you throw yourself into danger, besides, Nep-Nep is still out there trapped in that horrible graveyard! When these people arrive, I'm going with you all so I can help Nep-Nep." Compa says with compassion and determination.

IF sighs and says, "I know better than to try to stop you when you get determined. Get your gear, we're heading out now."

"Got it!" Compa says happily, grabbing her oversized syringe and heading out with IF and Falcom.

* * *

Karen's Dimension:

We follow Sinon through the dungeon, and she leads us through a few shortcuts, shaving off crucial time. We find that the boss appears to be a large steel juggernaut.

"Okay, this monster could be troublesome. Yugana, Zekken, Pulse, Striker, I want you four to spread out and attack the monster while Sinon lays down suppressing fire with her sniper rifle. Kirito, do what you do best." I say, my skill as strategist kicking in subconsciously, as I've been doing stuff like this since Aincrad.

"Why do you think I'd follow a strategy like that?" Sinon says rather angrily, confronting me on my plan.

"Got any other ideas, Miss Sniper?" I whip back angrily.

Sinon merely groans; I suspect she doesn't exactly have a solid plan right now.

"Sinon, we've worked with Asa for years, her strategies rarely fail. This strategy is her most adaptable." Katsuo says proudly, confronting Sinon.

"Fine. I won't deny it's a decent strategy, but make sure that Juggernaut stays away from me. By the way, where's your weapon, Asa?"

"Don't have one. This is a new character, the character I usually use has been active for four years. I want a new perspective."

"Wow...wait, four years? The only way you could have played Virtual Reality MMOs that long is if..._Oh_." Sinon says quietly, apparently having learned of our background now.

"Aside from Zekken and Yugana, all of us were in Sword Art Online." Mamoru says with a smile.

"Wow...incredible, I never thought I'd get to meet actual SAO players. It's an honor. Too many of you don't play MMOs anymore, I guess that game was too traumatic for most of you." Sinon says, bowing in respect.

"Enough talk for now, let's defeat that boss!" I say seriously.

"Got it!" They say in unison, starting the plan.

* * *

Gamindustri Dimension:

"Well...this is where they should end up, now we just sit and wait. They'd better not keep us waiting too long though." IF says, slightly irritated at having to play the waiting game.

"IF, Compa, stay here. I'm going to see if these people we're waiting for are in the forest to the west of here." Falcom says seriously, walking west.

"W-Wait! Falcom!" IF shouts in defeat, as Falcom is already pretty far from camp.

"Iffy, do you know anything about these people we're waiting for?" Compa asks curiously.

"No, not...really, I was told by Histoire to wait out here for them, then bring them to Planeptune." IF says with a small sigh. "Histoire is risking just about everything on these people, they had better be worth it."

"Don't worry Iffy, if Histy is willing to risk so much, they must be worth the effort." Compa says happily.

"I hope so." IF says in a less than hopeful tone.

* * *

Real Life Standard Time: [11:45] June 12th 2026

With the Juggernaut boss defeated, both Katsuo and I have made it to level 30 from that single battle, so we'll stand a decent chance in any fight, though I'm still hopeless without a weapon.

"Wow, that was incredible, that was a very high level boss, and we killed it without any deaths on our side." Sinon says in utter surprise. "You certainly know your stuff, Asa." Sinon says with a smile.

"Comes with helping the clearers in SAO for three years, leading the grand quest clearing in Alfheim, and so on."

"Wait, you're Solaris of Aincrad?! My goodness...it's an honor to work with you." Sinon says, clearly awestruck.

"Come on, let's get out of this place." I say seriously. I don't want to stay in a dungeon all day.

We walk to the end of the dungeon to find a staircase behind a large pedestal holding a very large weapon.

"Holy...what is that?" Yuuki asks, awestruck.

"_That_ is the PGM Ultima Ratio Hecate II. It's one of the most powerful weapons in this world, alongside the fact it's a sniper rifle. It's what I'm using actually. Though...the design is different from what it's supposed to be." Sinon says, a little confused.

"Asa, you have the honors-you're the only one without a weapon, so you should take it." Mamoru says calmly.

"Thanks." I say, approaching the weapon in this pedestal, my companions in tow. I touch the weapon and I see a status window open in front of me, reading: '_PGM Ultima Ratio Hecate VI_'. "Sinon, I think you're a little off. This window says it's called the Hecate Six." I say quietly.

"I guess that explains the different design. Maybe it changes design and name every time someone acquires a Hecate." Sinon says calmly.

"Hurry up, before we leave you both behind!" Yuuki says eagerly.

"Got it! Come on, let's go," I say, wishing Yuuki had given me more time.

I grab the weapon and walk with the others up the staircase, which should lead out of the dungeon. However, what I see when I leave the dungeon is...not what I anticipated.

* * *

_A/N: I'd appreciate it if an experienced beta reader would be willing to offer to beta read this story. What I specifically need is someone good with describing characters and battle scenes since I'm not too good with things like that._


	2. Chapter 1: Mission Start

Karen, Katsuo, Kazuto, Mamoru, Yuuki, Ophelia, and Sinon are about to enter a world beyond their imagining. Will they be able to leave this brand new world and return to Earth? And if so, how long will it take? 3 years like Aincrad? 2 months like Alfheim? Or will it take much longer than Aincrad? Only time will tell.

* * *

Rated: AU Fiction T

_Disclaimer: I don't own anything apart from the words that I write and the characters that I create. Credit goes to the original creator of the SAO universe; credits also to the creators and contributors to the Hyperdimension Neptunia series._

Author Notes: If you want to understand this story fully, I would highly recommend reading my previous works.

Thank you for beta reading ailaxolotl.

* * *

The seven of us: Katsuo, Kazuto, Mamoru, Ophelia, Yuuki, Sinon, and myself find ourselves in a forest after we were enveloped in a bright light as we crossed the door leading to the outside. We were expecting to see the typical wasteland or desert, not...a forest full of life.

"Sinon, is Gun Gale Online's environment supposed to be like this?" I ask curiously, wondering if I'm hallucinating or something from how I'm seeing a lush forest and not a wasteland.

"No, lush forests aren't supposed to exist in this world, and...why do you all look so different?" Sinon asks curiously.

"Pardon?" I ask, before noticing a small river nearby.

I run toward the river to see the reflection of my real life self.

"_Nani?!_" I shout in surprise, falling on my rear end, not expecting my real life form to materialize in Gun Gale Online, or whatever this place is. I then quickly turn around to the rest of my group to see that their Earth appearances are visible just like mine.

"What's the matter?!" Mamoru asks, freaked out, before glancing toward Kazuto, Katsuo, and Ophelia.

"W-What's going on?! The AmuSphere shouldn't have the power to scan our entire body! Only the NerveGear was capable of that!" Ophelia shouts, seeing our true appearances, and looking around.

"Karen, you getting that ominous feeling like the last few MMOs we've played?" Katsuo asks me worriedly, as I walk back to the group.

"Mhm" I say with a reluctant nod. I pray that it's not happening _again_. "Okay, let's get our guns out just in case." I say seriously, the group nodding in approval.

When we try opening our inventories through the method we're used to, it failed, until Kazuto noticed the bracelets on our right arms. So we touch the bracelets and our weapons appear as rapid square pixels before materializing into different forms. I recognize my spear: Wandering Moon from Aincrad, Kazuto's Dark Repulser & Elucidator, Mamoru's Gatekeeper, Katsuo's Onyx Shark and Titanium Heart, Yuuki's two swords she had from Alfheim, and Sinon's Hecate Sniper Rifle.

"Okay, this is just bizarre. We somehow were given our most powerful weapons during our time in MMOs." Mamoru says in mild shock. "And somehow...our real life forms are being made visible."

"This is strange, but we have familiar weapons...that's something, at least." I say, trying to think of the bright side, inadvertently activating the visor that would appear when I used Sleuth in Aincrad.

"Woah, Karen, you have your Sleuth Unique Skill! I haven't seen that thing in over a year!" Katsuo says awestruck.

"It's nostalgic having Sleuth back, it's one of the things that made me so strong in Aincrad. But the thing is, I'm looking at you all and it's not working. I don't think Sleuth works like it did before."

"Aw, you were famous in Aincrad partially because of Sleuth. But I digress...let's get outta here." Mamoru says, nostalgia in his voice.

* * *

Chirper Events:

Lily Rank 2 – Sinon + Karen

"If I find that we're stuck in _yet another_ world, I am seriously going to be pissed. This'll be the third time, dammit!" I growl angrily.

"You have my sympathies, I didn't experience Aincrad, but it must've a difficult time for you all."

"Yeah. I honestly have no idea which one was worse; three years of imprisonment in Sword Art Online's death game, or two months in Alfheim Online's soul modification plan."

"If it's any consolation, at least we're all together. We just need to stick together and come up with a plan. We'll find a way out of this place. Lead the way and I'll follow."

* * *

Lily Rank 3 – Katsuo, Ophelia, Yuuki

"There are a couple things bugging me about this place. The first is: Why are our true physical forms are being shown here instead of our avatars? Second, _where_ the hell are we?!"

"Katsuo, try to take it easy. Flipping out won't help anyone."

"I know Yuuki, but still! I've been thrown into the pits of Yami at least three times now since Aincrad. Karen's one of the few reasons we've survived this long."

"You know Katsuo, I've been meaning to ask. What kind of relationship do you have with Karen? Do you possibly harbor feelings toward her?" Ophelia asks teasingly.

"What? No! I think of her only as a sister! Even if I were to humor this claim of yours and said I do have feelings for her, she's already with Hikaru and as his friend, I need to stay out of the date zone."

"A likely story." Ophelia says mockingly.

"Oh, go to hell." Katsuo mumbles angrily.

"You're not making a good case for yourself, Katsuo!" Yuuki says in the same tone as Ophelia.

"You two are infuriating!" Katsuo shouts, quickly getting fed up with this conversation.

"Oh no, he's getting mad! Let's run, Ophelia!" Yuuki says in a fake scared tone, sarcasm dripping in her tone, running away.

"Yeah, run before Katsuo gets even more furious." Ophelia says in a childlike manner, following Yuuki's lead.

Katsuo sighs. "Wow, Ophelia acts so different when Yuuki's around. I guess we all do in differing ways. I don't know whether to feel annoyed or glad of how Yuuki has quickly acclimatized with our group in both emotional bonds and physical strength. _Yuuki, you may be a pain in the neck sometimes, but you're still a good friend._"

Yuuki was close to hear Katsuo mutter the last part. "_I think the same way about yourself Katsuo._"

* * *

Mamoru

"_...Hector, Amelia, I'm not making a good example here, am I? You left me in charge of Haruka and here I am…separated from her._" Mamoru groans inaudibly. "I need to find a way back to her somehow."

* * *

Back to story

* * *

POV: Shino

We wander through the forest when we hear sounds of combat in the distance.

"Katsuo, follow me, fast!" Karen says seriously, running to the east.

"W-Wait up!" Katsuo says, running in the same direction.

"Karen! Katsuo!...Geez..." Ophelia says with a sigh in disbelief.

"This may be a bad time, but mind sharing names?" I ask nonchalantly, though the fact that those two took off is a little bit concerning, considering the seemingly chaotic state of the bonds between this group compared to the strong unity they showed back in that dungeon.

"Eh, I don't see why not. Name's Mamoru Nakasone."

"Ophelia Takara."

"Yuuki Konno."

"Kazuto Kirigaya."

"My name's Shino Asada."

"The two who took off are Karen Koizumi and Katsuo Viperia. They're a little headstrong compared to the rest of us, but they mean well." Mamoru says with a sigh.

"Let's go after them, before we lose them!" Ophelia says in an irritated over how they just took off.

We then chase after Karen and Katsuo to make sure they don't get in danger.

* * *

POV: Karen + Katsuo

Katsuo and I ran east to find out what was going on, only to find some sort of mechanical network of platforms in the forest. We try following the sound of fighting when we see a girl with short red hair surrounded by three brown dragons, getting ready to kill the girl. The two of us draw our weapons to help the girl.

"Hey! You okay?!" I say in surprise to the girl.

"Travelers? I'll be okay, don't get involved." Falcom says in a surprisingly calm tone considering how she seems close to death.

"Screw that! I'm not going to let you fight these things alone and risk getting killed. Let us help!" Katsuo says angrily.

"Well, if you insist, I'd appreciate the help," Falcom says with a smile.

"What are these things anyway?!" I ask incredulously, having rarely seen such vicious looking monsters.

"These are Ancient Dragons. I came into the depths of Virtua Forest to find some travelers that were supposed to be in this area and bring them back with me," Falcom says calmly. "Sadly, I came across three of these powerful beasts, and I guess I got overeager."

"Who are these travelers? Maybe we could help you find them. After we deal with these Ancient Dragons, of course." I say compassionately.

"Many thanks." Falcom nods in my direction with a smile.

Katsuo faces down two of the dragons himself and fights them both with his sword, however, he doesn't seem to be dealing much damage, which quickly pisses him off.

"What the hell?! I'm barely making a dent on these things!" Katsuo growls angrily.

"You clearly have not fought here much. You need to break the Guard Gauge that all monsters and fighters possess, and only then can you inflict significant damage," Falcom says calmly, resuming her fight against the remaining dragon as I do my best to help.

* * *

POV: Mamoru

"Damn it. Where the hell are they?" I growl a little angrily.

"Uh, Mamoru...we have bigger issues at the moment," Yuuki mutters very nervously, seeing a dozen dragons slowly approach us.

"Crap!" I say nervously, before inspecting the environment to find a way out of this situation. I'm not exactly as good at leadership compared to the experience Karen has built up in Aincrad, but I think I can handle the pressure. "Over there! There's a side path! Fall back!" I state, trying to keep my fear in check before taking off to the side path with the others in tow.

We flee down the side path to circumvent the dragons and find a different route to meet up with Karen and Katsuo. We see a duo of girls, one a brunette and the other having cream pink hair, wandering down a path, seemingly from the entrance of this place.

"Let's ask those two if they've seen Karen and Katsuo." Kazuto says calmly, not wanting to stay here much longer.

We run toward the duo, who draw their weapons in response to the footsteps, but when they see we're human, they return their weapons. I'm guessing they assumed we were monsters about to ambush them or something considering how we saw those dragons earlier.

"Excuse me, but have you seen a girl with long amber hair and a boy with short brown hair? We got separated." Yuuki asks politely.

"You five...we were sent to find you!" IF says in shock.

"Come again? You came to find us specifically?" Ophelia asks in disbelief.

"Yeah, Histy told us to find you all and bring you to Planeptune. But...you got separated?" Compa asks worriedly.

"Yeah, they heard fighting here in the area, so they came to find what was causing it." Ophelia says calmly.

"Let's travel together then. We came to find another companion of ours, she wanted to see if she could find you all around here, and I guess she was right." IF states calmly, while Compa is glancing at me and Kazuto.

"Um, why are you staring at us?" I ask in a mildly creeped out tone.

"Oh yeah, as far as anyone knows, you and your group have the only males in our entire world of Gamindustri." IF states calmly, which makes me and Kazuto become increasingly nervous.

"W-Wait, if this society is devoid of males...do you?!" I ask very rapidly and super nervously. Despite asking, I made it pretty clear in my tone that I don't want an answer.

"I don't why you're freaking out, this is a normal human society, nothing out of the ordinary." IF states nonchalantly.

"That does little to alleviate my worries." Kazuto says worriedly.

"We can discuss matters later, we need to find your friends and Falcom." IF says seriously.

"Yeah, let's find them, then we can find a way to get out of this place and return home." Shino says calmly, with her eagerness to return to Earth being rather obvious to me.

* * *

POV: Karen, Katsuo, Falcom

It was a pain but, we managed to kill a single dragon; but these things are driving me and Katsuo to exhaustion. Aside from the incident in the hospital last month, we have not fought with our lives on the line in nearly a year, and our skills have dulled over time.

"Ugh, I'm reaching my limit. I am _really_ out of shape right now." I say, panting a little.

"Karen, get back if you're feeling weak." Katsuo says compassionately.

"Thanks, but I'd be safer in this battle than trying to fall back." I say proudly, glad that Katsuo still cares for my well-being after all these years. But I know that if I try to run, I'd probably run into a monster and on my own; I don't want to think about it.

I see Katsuo and this girl each fighting a single one of these Ancient Dragons. Katsuo appears to be running himself ragged in his fight, while this girl seems perfectly calm.

"Actually, I never caught your name." Katsuo says, still fighting that dragon and trying to figure out how to deal lasting damage to these monsters.

"Falcom, I caught your friend's name: Karen, but what's yours?" Falcom says with a calm smile, fighting the dragon with a rather fancy sword.

"Katsuo."

"Pleased to meet you, Katsuo."

"Same to you Falcom, now let's-" Katsuo says with a smile, before explosions go off in front of them, and both dragons suddenly vanish.

We look around to see Mamoru and the others followed by two new people. I'm guessing Mamoru was responsible for those explosions as I see him putting his bow behind his back, like a professional archer. They all then rush toward me, Katsuo, and Falcom, with frowns on all of their faces.

"Karen, what you did was outright inexcusable!" Ophelia says angrily, calling me out on taking off, though the fact _she_ of all people said this surprises me.

"Ehehe...gomen gomen. But you really are starting to grow up Ophelia, you actually called me out on something like this. I'm proud of you." I say, feeling mixed sheepishness and pride.

"I suppose I have grown. But honestly, if you got yourself killed, I'd have hell to pay when I talked with your friends, especially Hikaru." Ophelia says seriously.

"Look, I'm not going to stop you from having discussions, but let's not have them here, we can have them in Planeptune. This forest is swarming with monsters." IF says bluntly.

"If you say so, then lead the way." Kazuto says nonchalantly, sharing IF's desire for uninterrupted dialogue.

"Let's go then" Falcom states calmly, leading the way out of the forest, seemingly completely unfazed and fine in terms of stamina despite how much fighting she's done compared to myself and Katsuo.

* * *

We all head out of the forest to find grasslands in every direction, a comforting sight after the hellish dungeon.

"Hey, um..." I say a tiny bit nervously to the brunette.

"What is it?" IF asks angrily, apparently wanting to return to Planeptune as soon as possible.

"I have two questions, one: What are your names? And why are these plains so peaceful when that forest was swarming with monsters?"

"Right, you're not from our world. I'll give the light version for now. My name is IF, my friend here is Compa, and you've met Falcom," IF states calmly, motioning to her colleagues. "And about the monsters; let me simply say: That's how Gamindustri works."

"Is that the name of this world? Gamindustri?" Mamoru asks curiously, and I notice Katsuo chuckle inaudibly at the name.

"Yeah, now that we're out of the forest, we ought to return to Planeptune; it's a two hour trek from here." IF says calmly.

We continue the trek and I see a large tower far in the distance after about an hour passes of walking.

"Wow...what is _that_?" I ask in surprise. I've never seen such a beautiful tower like that since Yggdrasil.

"That's Planeptune's Basilicom, our final destination. Histoire will answer any of your questions when we arrive."

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [12:30] April 12th 20XX

I activate the bracelet on my arm to open the menu to see it's about 12:30 right now, so we should make it to this Planeptune by 2 if we're lucky. I don't feel comfortable trusting this trio, but they did help us, so I'll give them the benefit of a doubt.

"_This world appears beautiful, but I can't stand being trapped in yet another world. Aincrad and Alfheim was bad enough; this time Katsuo and I are divided from Kana, Sylvia, Hikaru, and the others, possibly for good._" I say in my mind in a depressed tone.

"IF-san, I'm curious, why did this Histoire bring us all here?" Ophelia asks curiously.

"We were able to get records of when you were in some place called Aincrad and watched recordings of your combat prowess. We were hoping to bring a team named...Senyaku or something like that." IF says calmly.

"Senyaku? Wait, do you mean Senryaku? That was what I named my group way back then" I ask in mild confusion, before figuring out what's she trying to say.

"Yeah, that." IF says with a quick nod.

"Katsuo and I were full members of that unit, Kazuto and Mamoru were temporary members of the unit in Aincrad. But Ophelia, Yuuki, and Shino don't have experience fighting for our lives unlike the four of us." I say with a degree of concern, filling IF in the details involving Senryaku.

"At least we have some of the people we're hoping for, I hope the rest of you are up to par." IF says bluntly.

"Hey! I find that highly offensive!" Yuuki whips out angrily, feeling highly insulted, with Ophelia and Shino sharing the sentiment.

"Listen to me carefully IF, insulting my friends will not earn my loyalty. If you insult them, I will refuse to help you." I growl angrily.

"Then _you_ can forget about ever getting back home." IF says with a mischievous smile, proud that she holds all the chips.

"Grr; I suspected something like this when we arrived." Katsuo growls a little angrily.

"Iffy, don't be mean to them! We need their help to save Nep-Nep!" Compa says with a frown.

"Who's Nep-Nep?" I ask curiously, hearing such a name is a tad awkward. "Is Nep-Nep a dog or a cat or something?"

"Okay; let me blunt, if this 'Nep-Nep' is a dog or cat, I am going to be extremely pissed!" Katsuo states angrily, and I can't blame him on this one.

"Nep is this nation's CPU, Console Patron Unit. They're called Goddesses, who essentially rule over the nation they found. Her real name is Neptune, but she hates going by that name by anyone except a few people, so she demands to be called by nicknames. Anyway, Nep and the other CPUs in Gamindustri were captured by an organization called the Arfoire Syndicate of International Crime, or ASIC three years ago."

"Okay, so you want our help to save the CPUs?" Yuuki asks.

"More or less. We're getting a little desperate here, so we had to call for assistance from outside sources. Your Senryaku group was the best option we had." Falcom states calmly.

"What's with the computer and game references?" Shino asks.

"That's how Gamindustri works." IF says with a sigh.

I sigh and say, "Is that the response to everything in this world? 'That's how Gamindustri works'?"

"Eh, pretty much. At least, to situations like this." IF says, sighing again.

* * *

Chirper Events:

Lily Rank 1 – Karen + IF

"_Damn it._"

"Something up with you?" IF asks curiously.

"I have nothing specifically against you, per say, but I hate that the seven of us are trapped here. Katsuo, Kazuto, Mamoru, and I already experienced three years of that sort of hell. Ophelia, Yuuki, and Shino never experienced such things. They shouldn't have to in the first place!"

"It's too late to complain about such things. If you help rescue Nep and the others, we'll send you back."

"For the oddest reason, I feel like we're going to be stuck here for a _long_ time." I groan, having played games that go along routes like this where if you're trapped in a different world and someone offers to help return you to your world, it never works out.

* * *

Lily Rank 4 – Karen, Katsuo, Kazuto, Mamoru

"This is like Aincrad all over again." I say with a light moan.

"Yeah. Why does things like this happen to us? We must be cursed." Katsuo says with a sigh.

"You must be if all these things happen to you five. Of course, since Kazuto and I associated with you all, we must've been cursed as well!" Mamoru says with a sarcastic laugh.

"Mamoru, don't mess around right now." I say with a groan, I don't want to deal with this right now.

"Sorry Karen, but you can't exactly blame me for saying such things." Mamoru replies apologetically, having not wanted to irritate the girl, merely wanting to lighten the mood.

"Yeah. But I don't mind such things. Life is too boring if everything's calm. Though I don't like that we were separated from our friends and families by force. I wonder if we'll be able to reunite with Hikaru, Asuna, Suguha, and the others?" Kazuto jumps in with a mild smile before frowning sadly when thinking of Earth.

* * *

Back to story

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [14:00] April 12th 20XX

The 10 of us: IF, Compa, Falcom, Katsuo, Kazuto, Mamoru, Ophelia, Yuuki, Shino, and I arrive in Planeptune at long last when the three natives stop in front of us.

"Okay, we need to get to the Basilicom, but first, Compa, Falcom, and I need to get clothing for you all." IF says nonchalantly.

"There's a clothing store on the way, let's just stop there" Falcom says casually.

We walk toward the tower and follow IF, Compa, and Falcom inside a rather large store with dozens, if not hundreds of different clothes on racks.

"Okay, pick out clothes you like and we'll cover them." IF says calmly, heading to the register with Compa and Falcom in tow.

"Okay, feel free to spread out and get clothing, I imagine we need to try to blend in among the crowds" I say, beginning to spread out away from everyone, knowing that we've gotten a lot of odd looks from the populace. We do need to stand out less in this strange new world.

I look through silver colored clothing to find only three decent outfits, and none of them are something I'd be interested in, so I look through violet clothing and find so many excellent outfits that would work for me. I grab a short-sleeved shirt colored violet, jeans colored blue with gold trims which is nearly identical to my look when I played Ashikaga, but the size is crazy small. This is bothering me because of how ideal this outfit is, yet the size is stopping me. I notice Compa nearby and I ask her a question.

"Hey, Compa. Why are these clothes so small?" I ask curiously.

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about that." Compa says with a casual laugh.

"What do you mean?" I ask curiously.

"Clothes made in this world are enchanted to be a small size when not in use to maximize space available in inventories or closets." Compa explains this feature to me.

"I see. So if I were to wear this, it would become larger?" I ask curiously.

"Of course, it's enchanted to be a one size fits all." Compa says calmly, walking away. I guess she's going to tell the others of this.

I'm content with this outfit, so I bring it to the counter to purchase it, when I see IF near the counter. I don't see Falcom, so I guess she's helping Compa with informing us of the clothing thing.

"That what you want?" IF asks me rather dully.

"Sure, it's the best outfit I found." I say casually in response.

"Alright, hand it to me, I'll use my fund from the Guild to pay for it." IF says calmly, in a slightly bossy tone.

"Guild? I'll guess that's your work; but is it okay to use company money on stuff like this?" I ask, with a lot of my perception kicking in as I give her the outfit.

"Histoire's the boss of the Guild. If I explain the situation, she'll understand. Granted, she might not like it, but she'll understand." IF says casually. "Here, put it on" IF says, passing the outfit to me.

Before, I was only touching it through the clothes hanger holding them in shape, and when I passed it to IF, she held it on the same hanger.

"Okay, now that it's paid for, you can wear the clothing without problems. Try it out." IF says, passing the clothes to me.

I simply touch the clothes and they break down into pixels, and when I look at a mirror nearby, I see that the clothes are on me. The clothes are a perfect match, and they look very exotic and beautiful, with star patterns all over the outfit. I however quickly notice that my hair color changed from amber to a snowy white color.

"Sugoi!" I say happily; I've rarely taken the time to focus on fashion, but when I notice the change in hair color, I begin to freak out "But...what happened to my hair?!"

"Eh? What did you just say?" IF asks me with a confused look on her face, before calming down a little "Anyway, relax, it's a passive effect of clothing. It changes your hair color while it's equipped all because of its enchantments. If you wear any other clothes, it'll change based on the enchantment's effect on you, and if you wear your old clothes, it'll go back to your original hair color."

"Oh...sorry, I tend to speak Japanese like this when I'm very happy, angry, or embarrassed. The word I said is Japanese for amazing; well, one meaning for it." I say, embarrassed I let myself get like this, with the shock of my differing hair color being gone now that I know what happened. "Anyway, what happened to my old clothes? Just curious." I ask in a worried tone.

"They're in your inventory. You can access them freely, but for convenience, just stick with that outfit. You stand out a little too much in them."

"I suppose."

"When we complete our mission, we'll probably need to buy more outfits for you all. I don't know how things worked for you before, but you do need to eat, sleep, drink, and everything else here."

"Oh, I see." I say, understanding the logic there.

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [14:30] April 12th 20XX

Katsuo, Kazuto, Mamoru, Ophelia, Yuuki, and Shino are in front of me, all wearing rather unique outfits, with their hair colors changing as well.

Katsuo is wearing a dark red tunic and crimson pants with gold trims, symbolizing his time as Yamakage in Alfheim, with his hair color being a rather interesting color of Cerise. Kazuto is wearing the same generic black clothing, little surprise there, though he is wearing dark blue pants, with his hair being Teal. Mamoru is wearing a brown sweat-shirt and pants; it makes him look younger than he really is, causing me to laugh, with his crimson red hair making him look like Katsuo in a sense. Ophelia chose a dark silver tunic with indigo colored pants, sporting cyan colored hair. Yuuki chose a violet shirt with crimson trims with the same colored pants, her purple hair being a rather feminine pink. Shino chose to go all silver with her appearance and her black hair has changed to what my hair color is: Amber.

All of these outfits have a very futuristic style and feel to them; it's far more advanced and stylish than anything we have on Earth, with Ophelia, Yuuki, and I outright love our brand new outfits.

"Wow, if I didn't know any better, you all could've lived here your entire lives." Falcom says with a smile.

"You all look incredible. You truly do seem like you were born here!" Compa says happily.

"Thanks Compa." Ophelia says with a forced smile, and I'm guessing it's because of the drastic changes on our hair colors.

"Now that you all have new trends, let's get to the Basilicom." IF says seriously.

* * *

Chirper Events:

Lily Rank 4 – Karen, Katsuo, Kazuto, Mamoru, Ophelia, Yuuki, Shino

"Woah...We all look so different." I say starry-eyed, inspecting the clothing we're wearing.

"Tell me about it. These clothes are so futuristic, it feels like space armor. But the changes to our hair is not something I really like here." Katsuo says, examining the clothing he has on.

"At least we found clothing with our favorite colors. Onyx certainly does appeal to me."

"Kazuto, I have to ask, what is with you and the color black? It's all you wear." I ask curiously. Aside from that one time in the KoB, Kazuto has always worn black or dark colored clothing.

"I could ask you or Katsuo the same thing. Violet and red are all you've been wearing for years on end."

"Touché_..._" Katsuo mumbles quietly under his breath, but I can't tell what it is this time since my hearing is at reality's levels, not enhanced from Virtual Worlds.

"If Hector and Amelia were alive, they'd probably try kicking my ass right now." Mamoru says with a sigh.

"You all must be going through hell. You have my sympathies, though I can't compare since I haven't lived your lives, but I do know what it's like to lose family. My father died when I was two to a car accident. My mother was traumatized so I had to help her. You may find this odd but...I'm actually really afraid of guns." Shino says in a quiet tone, recalling tragic events.

"Sorry to hear that Shino." Mamoru says sadly.

"I actually lost my parents three years ago, and my sister died two years ago. I've been living on my own afterward, training in the virtual world to try...getting over that trauma."

"My god...I'm sorry Yuuki, I never knew." Katsuo says apologetically.

"Why apologize? You had nothing to do with it, Katsuo. I prefer to think toward the cheerful future over the past that I can't change."

"Still, I just felt the need to apologize," Katsuo says in the same tone.

"Don't turn all sappy on me Katsuo, it's ill-fitting." Yuuki says laughingly, making a joke of all this.

"Hey! I'm pouring my heart out here and you're laughing at me!" Katsuo says, irritated.

"Hehe, gomen Katsuo. You were just being so sappy, I had to do it."

* * *

Back to story

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [15:00] April 12th 20XX

We're inside the Basilicom and have made it to the inner sanctum of the tower, where we see a tiny fairy-like human with blonde hair, wings colored blue, silver, and violet, sitting on a book with silver pages.

"You've been gone quite some time IF, are these the people I summoned?" The fairy asks seriously.

"I apologize Histoire, but certain things needed to be done." IF says apologetically. "And yes, these are the people you summoned here."

"Histoire, I know this may not be the perfect time, but I need some questions answered," I say seriously.

"Very well. Ask your questions and I will do my best to answer." Histoire says calmly.

"First...I heard something about CPUs, were we summoned to help with that somehow?"

"Correct, we've seen your power from your time in Aincrad, we knew you were our best chance to rescue the CPUs. :) I just wish we could've had the full team, not just two members of them. (_)" Histoire says, making two different shows of emotion, one of happiness and disappointment, or perhaps mild anger.*

"Well, Histoire, we're still plenty strong. Yuuki, Ophelia, and Shino aren't exactly members of the original Senryaku unit in Aincrad, but each one of us are powerful in a way," I say with a smile.

"I know you are speaking the truth there. I saw your prowess in the world called Gun Gale Online...Why do you have such an exotic and unusual name for your world? (_)"*

"Um...the thing is, the world of Gun Gale Online is virtual, it's not real." Yuuki says with an embarrassed laugh.

"Oh...that explains things, your civilization is more advanced than I thought. I thought that devastated world was your real planet. (^_^;)" Histoire says with a nervous laugh, an anime-style tear drop running down her face.

"Anyway, Histoire, I won't speak for all of us, but we do need to return home at some point. Our friends and families will start worrying after a while," I say seriously.

"I understand your worries, but don't fret, time flows differently in this world from your own. I do not know the difference, but I do know you'll be able to stay here a long time before people in your world begin to worry."

"Look, it's not that I don't feel bad about these CPUs or hate this world, but Histoire, please send me back to Earth. I don't want to be stuck here." Shino says quietly.

"Sadly, I don't have the ability to send any of you back. I used an extensive amount of power bringing you all here :( But, if you'd be willing to perform two favors for Planeptune, I could send one or two people back :)." Histoire says happily, though her tone was rather sad at the start.

"What favors do you ask of us?" Mamoru asks curiously.

"First of all, we need to send some of you to rescue our CPUs from ASIC. Their freedom will ensure you all can return to your world. Sadly, I only have the power to send six people to and from the Gamindustri Graveyard where they are being kept captive this time. The second is that we need our Shares boosted."

"Shares? What is that supposed to be?" Kazuto asks curiously.

"Shares is the belief people have in our goddess CPUs. Over the last few years, ASIC has stolen nearly all of our shares. I pooled all but three percent of Planeptune's remaining Shares to summon you, so you could save our world of Gamindustri." Histoire says very sadly, a real tear running down her cheeks.

"So your situation is that grave? I can hardly look the other way about situations like this." Katsuo says quietly.

"Neither can I." I say in the same quiet tone, with the others nodding in agreement over what we've been hearing.

"So will you help us rescue Nep and the other CPUs?" IF asks us all.

"You said you could only send six people to this Gamindustri Graveyard. Who's going there?" I ask curiously.

"I requested IF and Falcom to go to the Graveyard alongside you all, but Compa is forcing the issue. She will be going, at my reluctance, since I was hoping to send four of you alongside IF and Falcom. You will need to choose three of you to go with them. Whoever you don't bring will remain here in Planeptune to build up Shares." Histoire says seriously.

"So, we need to split our team into two?" Katsuo asks with a hint of concern.

"Yeah." IF says quietly.

"Histoire, everyone, could you give us a minute or so to deliberate? This isn't something we should decide randomly." I say quietly.

"Of course, take the time to decide who will be going to rescue the CPUs and who'll stay behind." Histoire says, as we walk outside the room to deliberate.

* * *

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [15:15] April 12th 20XX

We're outside the room where Histoire, IF, Compa, and Falcom are so we can deliberate on who we're going to send to the Graveyard.

"Okay...we can't afford complaints or fights. Whoever doesn't go must not hold any anger toward those who go." I say seriously, with a grave frown.

"Naturally," Shino says calmly.

"This is just my thinking, but we ought to limit our numbers to SAO players; so myself, Katsuo, Kazuto, or Mamoru. Ophelia, Yuuki, Shino, I do not doubt your skills, but we need people who have fought with their lives on the line before." I say quietly.

"I can understand why you'd want such people, Karen. The three of us have never fought to defend our lives for real, unlike you four. But still, I know that Yuuki was able to defeat Hikaru, Katsuo, and Kazuto before, she ought to be considered for this decision." Ophelia says casually.

"Ophelia, I respect your logic on this, but you're forgetting one thing. Most, if not everyone from SAO have had their skills dulled from the death game since their return to reality, but I've seen Katsuo and Mamoru in battle here. Their rapid reaction time and power are stronger than in Aincrad. We need SAO players who have pushed the boundaries of what was thought possible."

"I'm not going to force the issue, Karen. You're the talented leader out of all of us, so whatever you decide, I'll go with it." Yuuki says with a smile.

"Okay, let me think...a graveyard will have limited space...it'd be hell for archers, so we need to stick with melee combatants. Sorry Mamoru, but I'm requesting you stay behind on this one. Katsuo, Kazuto, and I will go." I say reluctantly. Forcing the team to separate is not something I'm proud of, but in this situation, I don't have another option.

"Fair enough. Yuuki, Ophelia, Shino, and I will remain in Planeptune and help Histoire build up Shares. Be careful all of you, understood?" Mamoru says casually, and paternally at the end, as he is the oldest in our group aside from Andrew and Tsuboi.

"I don't feel right about you throwing yourself in danger again, Karen..." Ophelia says with a sniffle.

"Ophelia, it'll be okay. I'm crazy tough, you know that!" I say with a laugh, though Ophelia scowls at my lightheartedness.

"Okay, so Karen, Katsuo, and myself are going?" Kazuto asks, wanting to make sure.

"Yeah, let's return to Histoire and give our decision." I say, opening the door to the room, walking in alongside the others.

"Have you come to a decision?" Histoire asks me.

"Yes. Katsuo, Kazuto and I will go with IF, Compa, and Falcom, while Mamoru, Yuuki, and Shino will stay behind and gather shares for Planeptune." I say calmly. "I'd prefer to have Ophelia working on technology, if she wishes."

"Your friend is skilled in technology? How skilled?" IF asks curiously.

"Although I started with robotic mechs, I've grown very talented with any kind of technology. I'm not that good with combat, but working R&D is my forte." Ophelia says calmly.

"Very well. Ophelia, I would like to ask you to assist Planeptune's research team. I'm about to send a messenger for them to find a way to send you all back, perhaps you could help them and send the message yourself." Histoire says calmly.

"Understood. Best of luck everyone!" Ophelia says with a smile, walking away to the research division.

After Mamoru, Yuuki, Ophelia, and Shino walked away, only us seven are left in the room.

"Okay, I'm going to open a portal to the Gamindustri Graveyard. As soon as you six cross over, I need to close the portal to prevent monsters from getting through. So, to maintain contact, take these three walkie talkies." Histoire says, floating over to a nearby shelf and grabbing three walkie talkies, then passing one to me, IF, and Falcom. She then passes a small crystal to Compa.

"What is that?" I ask Histoire.

"This is called the Sharicite, we're going to use this to help the CPUs escape the graveyard." IF says calmly.

"It's so small. I'm feeling a tiny bit worried, will this be enough? Or is the Sharicite one of those rare items that possess large power in small packages?" I ask worriedly.

"I don't know...we spent years building up faith for this Sharicite, so if we can get even a single CPU free, it'll be worth it." Falcom says quietly.

"Let's go. Let's rescue these CPUs and return to our world." Katsuo says proudly.

The six of us begin to enter the portal to enter the Graveyard when Histoire speaks to us one last time before we set out.

"Best of luck, everyone." Histoire says, with mild fear in her voice.

* * *

A/N: I have no idea why the heck the emote isn't working in the lines for the two *s I added. In response, refer to the emoticon list on Wikipedia, and the emotes I use is troubled.


End file.
